Who says Miracles don't still happen?

Over the last 24 hours I have had the most amazing thing happen to me. I was commenting on facebook about my desire to take an online class but unfortunately it wasn't something I could budget. In response to that post two women who I know only out here in cyberspace secretly sent me paypal payments to use for the tuition. They both sent the total amount of tuition plus a little extra to cover the PP charges. I am so touched by their actions that I've been weepy and sniffly all night and day.

These RAOKs (Random Acts of Kindness) are sadly lacking in most of our lives. We're always in such a rush to get somewhere we sometimes forget to do even little things. Hold the door for someone juggling packages; forget to smile at an older person walking by; say thank you to a harried check-out person; stop and admire someone's garden. Each day we're given opportunities to do something special for someone else but often the question we silently ask ourselves is "what's in it for me?"

These women, one in MA and one in the UK did not have to go to these lengths for a stranger. But they chose to reach out to someone to brighten their day. And in my case, renew my hope. When I was fighting breast cancer 6 years ago I was so wrapped up in the fight I didn't think about why I was fighting to live; I just fought! In the last few months and years I've questioned why God let me stay around if His only plan for me was poverty level existence. I still am wondering just how He will finally show me why I'm still here. But two women have so touched my life that I think He's beginning to revel His plans just a bit.

The online class I'm taking is called "Mixed Media Melange". When I saw it advertised on the FB ad sidebar I clicked on it out of curiosity more than anything. Looking at the list of supplies I saw that I had EVERYTHING they said was needed for the class and I wistfully posted about it to my 3000+ friends. Never dreaming that I'd ever have the chance to take it, let alone have two women reach out to me financially, I'm putting God on the spot and asking him to show me a way I can use the knowledge that I'll gain from it for a higher purpose.

I'll keep you posted. I've made a promise to myself and my readers to blog more and offer more of myself. I'm keeping faith by doing these postings as miracles start to happen all around me. God Bless Rose and Dawn...two angels in disguise!

WildGypsyJewels is off and running.....

January 2011 and I'm making resolutions to...

• be more proactive with my art by:
  
• blogging, tweeting and FaceBooking regularly
  
• offering something FREE to the public at regular intervals
  
• GIVING something away monthly
  
• writing about what I want to read about
  
• NOT getting personal; no one cares if I've broken a nail
  
• networking with other bloggers
  
• successfully working my NEW eBay store (click title above)
  
• TAKING MY ART SERIOUSLY after a decade of indifference

Now that having been said I do want to catch my readers up on a few personal things. One is that my beautiful daughter, Lauren, became engaged to her e-Harmony match on Christmas Eve. Somewhere in the archives are pictures of them on her 30th birthday...I hope. Tonight is the bridal show for her chosen venue so off we go to do the Mommy, Daughter, Auntie, Future s-i-l and m-i-l thing. So far the only stumbling block is money. See my notes above on my proposed remedy:)

And the other, very sad and very scary thing I want to blog is that my little five lb. Chihuahua, Tyler, almost died this morning. I resuscitated him and we now believe his airway was being obstructed by a loose tooth. We preformed some minor surgery and have given him some fluids, antibiotics and baby asprin. All in all, a family living at the poverty level at the moment has done what they used to do before there was a Vet on every major highway...we have taken care of our own livestock and are cautiously optimistic that he will recover. I was up a few times during the night after he failed to eat at bedtime. I'm saying little prayers for the 'big guy' since at almost 13 he's still a major player in our family's circle of pets.

So there you have it...the second blog post after four months of 'turtling' by the Jersey Girl. Stay tuned for giveaways, freebies and good stuff without any b*tching and complaining about LIFE. Because once you have kicked the a@@ of cancer you MUST be willing to enjoy every single minute of LIFE no matter what it hands you. As my son is fond of saying...money is great and a necessary evil...but the only thing money really affords you is experiences. Interesting thought about the green stuff that fuels and sometimes stalls the economy of this family and this country.

Falling on Hard Times

Cleaning out my documents file I came across a .doc I'd written just over three years ago. Interesting perspective I had then and little has changed over the last 1,104 days but my faith. I am a stronger believer in a higher power than I was when the downward spiral began eight years ago. My level of empathy has also continued to spiral upward. No longer do I look at a poorly dressed woman dragging tired and worn clothing out of a dryer and think "Why doesn't she buy something new"? When I see an overweight woman my first thought isn't "How could she let herself go like that". The first thought when I see a bald woman is no longer one of repulsion but compassion.

So even though my circumstances haven't changed much, my viewpoint has and for that I am profoundly grateful. I have survived cancer, poverty and depression and still I am not defeated nor wallowing in self pity. I no longer measure time by man's clock but by that of a much higher power whom I am certain has amazing things in store for me.

June 12, 2006

I’ve often thought that if elected officials were forced to live as I have over the last five years, the middle class would be growing instead of disappearing. Healthcare for the masses would be a reality, not an impossible dream and those that sit in the seat of power would be doing more than warming their seat.

Since reality shows seem to be all the rage today, imagine a series where a Congressman, Senator or President was stripped of their cash and told they had to find a way to pay the mortgage, health insurance and utilities without the benefit of a regular paycheck. They would be forced to rely on wits not welfare. There would be no paycheck coming in at the end of the month but a guarantee of a mailbox full of final notices. Personally, I think it would be a phenomenal hit that would grip the country and keep them tuned in week after week. Should a producer decide to develop a reality series like that I’d be more than glad to be their technical advisor!

As incredibly stressful as the last five years of pinching pennies has been, it has given me a perspective that I would never have gained from the backseat of my limo. Having actually said to a driver ”Home James” (yes, his name was actually Jim) to be car-less is unimaginable to some but survivable by most. I went from riches to rags in a less time than it takes to grow a beefsteak tomato. How this happened isn’t as important as how I survived and eventually thrived. And wondering how the next mortgage and health insurance is going to get paid has left me with a strange sense of comfort. I’ve come to trust in a force much greater than myself and have handed over the illusion of actually being in control of my life.

WISDOM

Where does wisdom reside. Surely not in the teeth we receive in our 'old age. Today's man/woman usually receives them with a rush of pain because it was our prehistoric ancestors who needed them, not us. There is no room for those big teeth to fit in modern day man's mouth. So we live with them and finally experience the pain of ignoring them or we have them wisely removed before they cause a problem.

Today my daughter had hers removed. She's lived with them for years but suddenly last week they made themselves known, painfully! And now the biggest problem is...a co-pay of $463 that wiped out her bank account. And Mom, who would do anything to save her children pain or unhappiness can only stand by and cry because she can do NOTHING to help her. I can't kiss the boo boo and make it go away and I CAN NOT give her money to buy food for the next two weeks. Because Mom is so broke she can't even buy food for herself.

How did I get here? Surely not when my wisdom teeth were removed quite painfully forty years ago. But somewhere along the route of these last 40 years I never learned how to keep money in my pocket. I learned to put it into the pocket of many, many people along the way. Because I love to buy, buy, BUY and now all I have to show is an empty wallet, a house full of stuff and a daughter who I can not help because I can not help even myself.

But tonight I met a young woman named Bev on Twitter. Quite unexpectedly she popped into my life at a time I needed to hear what she had to share. Here is a portion of our tweets:

Bev: Lord, I pray you meet the financial needs of Your precious child NOW in the Name of Jesus. AMEN
Bev: He ALWAYS hears our prayers. "I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him & honor him." (or her) Psalm 91:15
Bev: Keep praying. Resist the urge to get frustrated, give up. Been there, done that! What Scripture are u standing on?
Me: Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Bev: Do you repeat multiple times a day until it becomes part of you? That's how you get thru the "testing season"
Me: Years ago international prayer saved my life when the Drs. gave me a 40% chance to survive. I BELIEVE in prayer.
Bev: Praise the Lord! Remember, faith moves mountains. WORK the WORD until you get a breakthru.

So from Atlanta, GA an unknown woman entered my life via cyberspace and through her words of Him I have received a renewal of MY faith. The Lord sure knows how and when to bring new people into our lives just when they are needed most. So tonight I make a promise to myself. I will renew my faith in prayer and I will pray for the wisdom that somewhere along the way I misplaced.